


Integrating

by adiwriting



Series: Hearing Verse [13]
Category: Glee
Genre: Deaf!Blaine, Glee AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-23
Updated: 2014-03-23
Packaged: 2018-01-16 18:56:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1358299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adiwriting/pseuds/adiwriting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blaine meets Kurt's friends for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Integrating

Blaine instinctively moves closer to Kurt as they step into his friend, Mercedes’ house. The music is blaring loud enough that he can feel the vibrations through the floor. Usually, this would be his signal to clear out some space for he and his friends to dance the night away, but he’s hesitant to do much of anything until he knows these people more. As accepting as Kurt and his family have been, that doesn’t mean that his friends are going to automatically like him as well. He’s not a stranger to parties and he’s usually a pretty social guy, but there’s always going to be something about walking into a hearing party versus walking into a Deaf party. 

OK? Kurt signs, concerned, stopping in the entryway where there are thankfully no people. 

I’M FINE, he signs, not sure who he’s trying to convince more — Kurt or himself. 

I LOVE YOU, Kurt signs.

I’M SORRY, AGAIN, PLEASE? he teases, pretty sure that he’s never going to tire of seeing Kurt sign that to him. 

I LOVE YOU, Kurt repeats himself with a goofy smile on his face that Blaine’s come to learn only comes out when he’s deliriously happy. 

WHAT? he asks, wondering just how many times he can get Kurt to say it before he gets annoyed. 

Kurt laughs and grabs him by the suspenders, pulling him in closer to give him a kiss. 

I LOVE YOU, Kurt signs, then proceeds to trace the lines of his suspenders up and down, sending a delicious chill through his body on an otherwise hot, summer night. 

SAME, he signs and doesn’t protest when Kurt grabs him by the back of the neck and pulls him in for another kiss. If Blaine had his way, they would never have to stop kissing, ever, but Kurt is always talking about a need for other things like food, sleep and work — ridiculous in his opinion. 

READY? Kurt asks, pulling away just enough that they can comfortably talk. 

I GUESS, he says, taking a deep, calming breath. He can get through this night. So long as Kurt is by his side, realistically he knows nothing bad will actually happen to him. Of course, his racing heart hasn’t seemed to catch onto that message. 

Kurt loops his arm around Blaine’s waist and leads him around the corner, where they immediately are met with a horde of other party guests. There’s a table lined with red solo cups and wide assortment of liquor bottles. Three boys are standing around it playing Flip-Cup as a small crowd cheers them on. Blaine can hear murmuring of sounds, but can’t tell if it’s coming from the crowd or the stereo system in the corner. The hearing aids are starting to give him a headache, but he’s not comfortable enough to take them out, even if they aren’t likely to do any good in such a sound-heavy environment. 

A blur of brown hair catches him in the face as Kurt is pulled away from him and into the arms of, what he can only assume, is one of Kurt’s friends. They quickly part and Blaine tries to catch what the girl is saying to him but her lips are moving too fast and he can’t understand what she’s talking to him about. Kurt keeps trying to interject, but the girl blazes on with fierce determination. 

MY FRIEND, R-A-C-H-E-L, Kurt signs for him, which seems to catch her attention, finally. 

“Is this Blaine?” she asks Kurt instead of talking directly to him and he has to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He’s heard about Rachel before from Kurt, but this was not what he was picturing when Kurt said that he was planning on living with one of his best friends when they moved to New York next month. 

Kurt nods, eyeing her warily and Blaine wonders if all of Kurt’s friends are as crazy as Rachel appears to be. 

HEY, he signs awkwardly, unsure how to approach a conversation with her but knowing he has to try. They will be seeing a lot of each other starting next month. He would usually just try and read her lips, but she doesn’t actually seem all the interested in talking to him. She immediately turns back to Kurt as if he wasn’t even there. 

“— cute,” she says, and if he strains himself, he can sort of make out the words that her lips are forming. “Does he read lips?” 

“Stop,” Kurt says to her, signing it too for his benefit and Blaine’s thankful that at least he won’t have to try and read Kurt’s lips as well. He’d been worried that Kurt would forget to sign once he got around his hearing friends. “Nice to meet you, Blaine,” Kurt says slowly, showing Rachel how to sign it. They go over it a few times before she finally turns to him with a sheepish look. 

NICE TO MEET YOU, BLAINE, she signs. 

NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO. 

“So do you talk?” she asks looking him up and down like a science experiment and Blaine’s about to snap back that he talks perfectly fine with his hands but Kurt yanks her away before he can say anything. 

“Goodbye, Rachel,” he says, pushing her away from them, pointing to the other side of the room with a harsh glare. The two of them stare at each other in a silent argument for a few moments before Rachel finally throws her arms up and walks away. When Kurt turns to look at him, he is blushing and looks mortified. 

SO THAT’S R-A-C-H-E-L? he asks, not impressed, especially knowing that Kurt’s going to be living with her for the next year. 

I’M SORRY. SHE’S DRUNK, he signs. SHE’S NOT USUALLY SO… OKAY, MAYBE SHE IS. GIVE HER ANOTHER TRY WHEN SHE’S SOBER. 

IT’S FINE, he responds, even though it’s really not. He wishes that his friends were here with him. If they were here, they’d be making a silly joke right about now to lighten the mood, helping cover up years of pain experienced from stupid question after stupid question. There’s almost nothing more annoying than a hearing person that seemingly means well while asking the most offensive, ignorant questions. 

DO YOU WANT A DRINK? Kurt asks. 

YES, PLEASE, he signs with more enthusiasm than is probably polite, but Kurt doesn’t complain. He grabs Blaine’s hand and leads them through the heavy sea of people until they have both made their way through the living room and into the less occupied kitchen. 

“Kurt!” a big, black girl says, standing up with a huge smile on her face. She pulls him into a hug and Blaine stands off to the side, praying she doesn’t notice him and start asking him stupid questions, too. 

M-E-R-C-E-D-E-S, THIS IS BLAINE, Kurt signs, pulling him back over and he bites down his annoyance. He knows that Kurt just wants him to like his friends. Blaine should want to know Kurt’s friends. 

Before Blaine really understands what’s going on, Mercedes is pulling him in for a hug as well. 

NICE TO MEET YOU, Mercedes signs to him with a big smile. 

YOU KNOW ASL? Blaine asks, looking at her in surprise. He’d known that one of his friends, Tina, was in Kurt’s ASL class this past spring, but Kurt hadn’t said anything about anyone else knowing ASL. 

“I don’t sign, sorry,” she says, and he’s happy to see that he can read her lips much easier than he could Rachel’s. She’s not moving around as much, which always makes it harder to understand. 

I TOLD M-E-R-C-E-D-E-S I WAS BRINGING YOU, Kurt explains to him. SHE ASKED ME HOW TO SIGN A FEW THINGS. 

OH, he signs. THAT WAS NICE. 

“Can I get you — — drinks?” Mercedes asks. 

“White wine, please,” Kurt says. “And not the cheap stuff you’re giving everyone else.” 

Blaine smiles at Kurt, he hadn’t realized how good Kurt was getting at talking and signing at the same time. It’s not often that Kurt has to do both together and Blaine knows it’s not easy. It makes Kurt’s signs become more English rather than ASL, but it’s not a big deal. Blaine’s just happy to see him signing. 

Kurt sits down at one of the kitchen chairs and pulls Blaine down to share his seat. It’s a tight squeeze, but he doesn’t mind the way Kurt’s pressed up against him from their hips all the way down to their ankles. It sends a warm thrill through his body and the familiar bubbling of desire starts in his stomach. He wonders how long they have to stay at the party before it would be considered rude to leave. He has a mental image of Kurt straddling him in the back seat of his car that he’d really like to see come to fruition.

“Blaine?” Mercedes asks, pulling him out of his thoughts and back into reality — a loud, overbearing reality filled with a lot of people he doesn’t know and has no good way of communicating with. 

ANYTHING’S FINE, he signs before Kurt smacks him playfully in the arm. 

WHAT DO YOU WANT? Kurt asks him again. BEER? WINE? LIQUOR? SODA? WATER? 

BEER? he asks and Kurt translates for him. Mercedes opens her fridge and pulls out two bottles. The good stuff, Blaine notes as she hands them their drinks, not the cheap stuff that’s lining the table in the living room. 

“Did you — — get —?” she asks, and Blaine busies himself by studying the label of the fancy beer bottle, letting Kurt take lead in the conversation. He figures, he’ll just wait to talk until he’s directly addressed, he doesn’t want to intrude. 

“Yeah, but not before we ran into Rachel,” he says and Blaine watches his signs out of the corner of his eye. 

Mercedes hands go up and she shakes her head, but Blaine doesn’t catch exactly what she says. 

“Oh, I will,” Kurt responds with a roll of his eyes, and Blaine tries not to show how confused he feels. “I’m going to have to keep Blaine away from her all night.” 

“What did she do?” Mercedes asks and Blaine figures that if Mercedes’s lips aren’t so hard to read, he should at least try. He’s sure he’ll appreciate the practice once he gets to NYU and his circle of Deaf friends dwindles to only Sebastian. 

“Nothing, it’s just Rachel,” he says. 

“She’s your best friend,” Mercedes reminds Kurt. 

“I know, doesn’t mean she can’t annoy me sometimes. Especially when she’s drunk…” 

Something causes both of them to turn their heads towards the living room with a wince and Mercedes quickly excuses herself to go check on something. 

HEARD GLASS BREAK, Kurt signs as a way of explanation and he nods, looking over to see if he can tell what’s been broken, but he can’t. 

DO YOU WANT TO DANCE? Kurt asks. 

I DON’T KNOW, he shrugs. 

Usually he’d be the first person to suggest turning on some music and dancing, but he’s still feeling a bit uncomfortable and he doesn’t really want to go back out into the swarms of people. There’s barely enough room to walk and if they go back out there, it’s going to be difficult to sign to one another with so little room. 

COME ON. Kurt stands up and pulls him to his feet. 

SO BOSSY TODAY, he signs, earning himself a pinch to the side. 

VIOLENT, TOO, he teases, but follows Kurt willingly as he pulls him out into the living room where they walk past Mercedes yelling at Finn, holding a broken lamp. 

They make their way over to part of the room that, thankfully, seems to have a few less people and there’s enough space for them to move around a bit, though he’ll hardly be able to swing dance with Kurt or bust out any of his recently acquired break-dancing skills. Kurt’s just about to wrap his arms around Blaine’s shoulders when a muscular boy with a mohawk pulls Kurt into a noogie. 

Kurt shoves him off, though he doesn’t look terribly put out, which saves Blaine from having to kick the boy’s ass for touching his boyfriend. It seems that Kurt knows the guy. 

“So this is the boy that’s tapping — that — ass?” the guy says, causing Kurt’s hand to reach out and quickly squeeze his tight in what Blaine can only assume is supposed to be an apology. 

“Puck, this is Blaine, my boyfriend,” Kurt says to his friend. 

“Oh, right — heard he was deaf,” Puck says, looking Blaine up and down, judging him. He tries not to fidget under the scrutiny, he knows guys like this feed on insecurity, but it’s hard not to feel uncomfortable as somebody looks at you like they are some riddle to be solved. 

“Can —” whatever Puck has said gets lost as he clearly begins to yell and speak slowly like Blaine is just stupid and if he talks slow enough, suddenly he’ll magically have his hearing. 

“No, but he can read your lips,” Kurt says and his signs are hitting hard enough that he can tell Kurt’s just as offended as he is. 

“My — —” Puck says to him, but Blaine still can’t understand him when he’s talking so slow. 

“He can’t read your lips if you talk like an idiot,” Kurt says with a heavy roll of his eyes. “Just speak normally, he’ll understand you. And if he doesn’t, I can interpret. Just don’t be an ass.” 

“Okay, cool,” Puck says normally this time and Blaine can thankfully understand him. “You know, I know some sign language.” 

“Really?” Kurt answers, looking doubtful. 

“Yeah, look,” and Puck proceeds to flick them both off, laughing at himself like it’s the most hilarious joke in the world. Blaine rolls his eyes, like he hasn’t heard that one before. 

I’M GOING TO GET A DRINK, he signs, walking away before he can say something rude, regardless of how offensive Kurt’s friend has already been to him, he’s not going to sink to his level. He’s going to survive this night and afterwards he can go back home and bitch about this to all of his friends who will understand.

He grabs the first bottle of liquor that he sees with so much force that he accidentally elbows the poor Asian girl next to him who’s trying to poor her own drink. 

SORRY, he signs, looking her up and down for any signs of serious injury. When she looks up, she’s glaring at him. 

I’M SO SORRY, he signs, hoping that his face is sincere enough to convey his apology. 

HEY, she signs, catching him by surprise. YOU K-U-R-T GIRLFRIEND! 

BOYFRIEND? he clarifies, amused. 

BOYFRIEND, SORRY. YES. ME NO SIGNING SINCE MAY, she signs with a blush. 

I’M B-L-A-I-N-E, he signs slowly, remembering how hard it was for Kurt to understand the first time they met and the girl did just say she was out of practice. 

T-I-N-A, she says and Blaine smiles. 

YOU WERE IN KURT’S ASL CLASS, he says, remembering hearing stories about the girl. She was the reason that Kurt had taken up sign language in the first place. He’d needed a language credit and she had convinced him to enroll in ASL with her instead of taking an easy A with French 101. Blaine owed the girl big for that one. 

NICE TO MEET YOU, she signs. 

NICE TO MEET YOU. He smiles his first genuine smile since walking through the door. 

Kurt pushes his way through the crowd and steals Blaine attention away from Tina, eyes blazing like he’s just gotten into a fight. 

HEY, I’M SORRY, Kurt signs, instantly turning apologetic. HE’S A GOOD PERSON ON THE INSIDE. 

SURE, he signs with a roll of his eyes. He doesn’t really want to think about Puck anymore. Not when he’s finally found a friend of Kurt’s that he can actually have some semblance of a conversation with. 

REALLY, MY FRIENDS… THEY ARE CRAZY, BUT THEY ARE GOOD PEOPLE IF YOU GIVE THEM A CHANCE, Kurt tries to explain and Blaine knows he should listen to him, but he just can’t get over years of built up hostility towards people like Puck. 

IT’S FINE. He doesn’t want to get into it right now. 

THEY AREN’T TRYING TO BE MEAN. 

THEY DON’T KNOW ANY BETTER, I GET IT, he signs with a fake smile. 

He honestly hates that excuse. Ignorance isn’t excusable for ableist behavior. When people act like that over skin color, people are up in arms and quick to call others racist. Why is it so different when people insult his culture? When people act like he doesn’t have a culture, like he’s somehow been made wrong? He’s not some special needs boy with a “hearing impairment” or whatever offensive term is being toted as politically correct these days, he’s Deaf with a capital D. He’s proud of it. He’s not disabled no matter what people try to say and he’s certainly not stupid. 

THEY ARE PROTECTIVE OVER ME, THEY ACT LIKE THIS NO MATTER WHO I’M DATING, Kurt signs. 

THEY ACT LIKE ASSHOLES? he asks, unable to hold back his annoyance. He doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that Kurt just said his friends do this to all of his boyfriends. Implying he’s had several. He doesn’t want to add jealously and the mental image of Kurt with other boys to his already growing list of reasons why this party is a disaster. 

I KNOW P-U-C-K WAS OFFENSIVE. I ALREADY YELLED AT HIM. BUT HE’S OFFENSIVE ABOUT EVERYTHING, NOT JUST BEING DEAF. I PROMISE, HE MEANS WELL, Kurt explains. 

OKAY, he signs, just wanting the conversation to be over. 

OKAY? Kurt asks, looking like he didn’t believe him. 

I WAS JUST TALKING TO T-I-N-A, he signs, changing the topic before Kurt can try to continue their conversation. 

HEY, Kurt signs to her, seemingly just realizing she was there. 

WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT YOUR ASL CLASS, Blaine signs, helping to move the conversation along. 

HE HELPED YOU CHEAT ON YOUR STORY, Tina signs to Kurt with a satisfied smirk. 

I DIDN’T CHEAT ON MY CHILDREN’S STORY, Kurt signs back, indignant. I USED CLASSIFIERS. 

YES. CHEAT, Tina signs playfully, glaring at the two of them.

I SAW KURT’S CHILDREN’S STORY, IT WAS CONCEPTUALLY ACCURATE, he signs in Kurt’s defense. 

YOU HELPED HIM! Tina laughs and Kurt rolls his eyes like it’s an old argument they’ve had before. 

I’M GOING TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. YOU’RE OKAY WITH T-I-N-A? Kurt asks. 

I’M FINE, he signs, surprising himself with how truthful it is. Tina is not as advanced as Kurt and her palm orientation can use some work, but he can hold a conversation with her and that’s more than he’d expected from any of Kurt’s hearing friends. Plus, there is the added bonus that she hasn’t treated him as anything special or different, which he appreciates. 

HE GOT AN A, NOT FAIR, she signs after Kurt’s gone. 

HEY, HE TRANSLATED MOST OF IT HIMSELF, he signs, throwing his hands up in surrender. 

ME TOO IF MY TUTOR WAS DEAF. 

DO YOU WANT ME TO TUTOR YOU? he asks, amused. 

NO, she signs. IT’S FINE. I GOT AN A, TOO. KURT TUTORED ME. 

HE DID? Blaine asks, surprised that Kurt never told him that. 

HE’S A GOOD TEACHER, Tina explains with a smile. HE WORKS HARD TO SIGN GOOD. HE REALLY LIKES YOU. 

I REALLY LIKE HIM, he signs back, happily. 

HE WOULD BE MAD IF I SAY BUT… HE WANTED TO DATE YOU FROM THE FIRST TIME YOU MET, she says, leaning in close so that nobody can oversee them, not that it would matter, Kurt’s the only other person that would understand what they are saying and he’s in the bathroom. 

REALLY? he asks, unsure why the thought makes him so giddy. He knew that Kurt liked him, Kurt had been the one to ask him out. Blaine just hadn’t realized that Kurt had liked him for so long before finally asking him out. 

HE DIDN’T KNOW IF YOU WERE GAY, Tina explained. 

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?

YES. Her eyes light up like it’s Christmas morning and he’s pretty sure she’s going to tell the entire world, but he doesn’t care. 

I WANTED TO DATE KURT FROM THE FIRST TIME WE MET, TOO. 

In retrospect, Blaine’s not really sure how they went over a month without one of them asking the other out, but it will be a cute story to tell their children in the future. Not that Blaine is ready to admit to Kurt that he’s thought about forever with him, they’ve only just made it up to ‘I love you’ today. 

Tina looks out of the corner of her eye and then gets a disgusted look on her face, turning back to the table to grab her cup and down the entire thing before moving to pour another one. 

YOU OKAY? he asks, concerned. 

MY OLD BOYFRIEND BROUGHT HIS NEW GIRLFRIEND, she signs, annoyed but underneath it all, he can tell that she looks hurt. 

SORRY, he winces in understanding and helps pour them both consolatory shots. 

One thing leads to another — or more accurately, one shot leads to another — and soon enough Blaine and Tina are on the dance floor trying to upstage Mike and his new girlfriend, both of whom attend a fancy dance academy in Chicago. Blaine doesn’t know Mike, but he dislikes him on principal after Tina explains that she’d been broken up with for not being Asian enough. Blaine has dealt with enough hatred in his life that he always feels instant camaraderie with anyone that’s been discriminated against. 

There’s a crowd of people surrounding them in fascination and he spots a fair amount of phones out recording the entire thing, but he doesn’t care. Kurt’s over in the corner talking to Mercedes and a few other people Blaine recognizes from the photos in Kurt’s room and every so often he’ll look over at Blaine and sign to him from across the room, but for the most part, they are both perfectly content where they are. Close enough to be able to talk if they need something, but enjoying the party on their own terms. 

Blaine has enough drinks in him to be over feeling uncomfortable and he’s in his element — beat hitting hard enough that he doesn’t just feel it through his feet, but in his soul as well. That’s the thing hearing people will never understand about music. It can be so much more than just hearing the beautiful sounds. If you take the time to really let the music become you… to feel it, it has a way of touching your soul. 

It’s Blaine’s favorite thing in the world. 

****

Kurt finds Blaine out on the back porch by himself a few hours later, pulling out his hearing aids and rubbing his temples, willing the pounding in his head to stop. It’s been awhile since he’s worn them and part of the price of that is having to readjust his brain to hearing sounds — even indistinguishable ones. Kurt holds his palm out to take the hearing aids and Blaine eyes him curiously. 

YOU’RE DRUNK, he signs, and tells Blaine that he’ll keep them safe so they won’t break. Blaine can only imagine his parents reaction if he managed to lose them or damage them in any way since they are pretty much the most expensive thing he owns outside of his car. Since he’s not about to put them back in with how wonky his head’s feeling, he hands them over. 

Kurt carefully places them in his pocket before taking a seat next to him. Blaine wastes no time in laying his head down in Kurt’s lap, sighing happily when Kurt’s fingers find their way into his hair. 

YOUR HAIR IS STARTING TO CURL. Kurt smiles down at him. 

Blaine ignores him and rubs his cheek against the smooth velvet of Kurt’s pants. The fabric feels so good and cool against his hot skin. 

WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Kurt asks, shifting awkwardly and Blaine stops when he realizes that his face is practically in Kurt’s crotch. 

SOFT PANTS, he signs looking at Kurt like that should be obvious, but Kurt doesn’t seem to understand. 

OKAY, HOW MANY DRINKS DID YOU HAVE? Kurt asks and Blaine wonders if he isn’t drunker than he initially thought. 

I WAS NERVOUS, he signs back defensively, unsure how Kurt’s going to feel about him getting drunk at a party while also underage. 

I KNOW, Kurt signs, an understanding look on his face. MY FRIENDS ALL LOVE YOU. 

THEY AREN’T SO BAD, he responds. 

I TOLD YOU. Kurt looks smug. 

S-A-N-T-A-N-A SCARY, he signs sloppily and starts laughing hysterically when he realizes that for once in their lives, Kurt’s signing is actually better than his thanks to his drunken state. 

WHAT? Kurt asks, looking at him fondly. 

He shakes his head, but continues to laugh for no real reason, other than the fact that now that he’s started, he can’t stop. 

I LOVE YOUR LAUGH, Kurt signs. 

CAN I KEEP YOU FOREVER? Blaine asks. 

SURE. 

I’M HAPPY YOU’RE MOVING TO NEW YORK WITH ME, Blaine signs as he yawns, cuddling closer to Kurt. 

ME, TOO. Kurt’s finger scratch gently at his scalp and it feels like heaven, he can’t help but moan. The gentleman in him pretends not to notice what that does to Kurt and how every sound Blaine makes causes him to shift a little bit more in his seat. They are in public after all. 

I DON’T WANT TO GO ALONE, he signs, getting back on topic after Kurt finally removes his fingers, realizing that they were both getting too close to starting something they wouldn’t be able to stop. 

YOU’RE ROOMING WITH SEBASTIAN, Kurt signs, giving him a weird, slightly hopeful look. IS SEBASTIAN NOT GOING? 

HE IS, Blaine signs, ignoring the disappointed look on Kurt’s face. He knows that Kurt’s not a big fan of Sebastian after the incident at Dalton, but Sebastian is still one of his best friends so he tries not to bring it up. BUT IT’S NICE TO HAVE YOU THERE, TOO. 

I AGREE. 

YOU HELP ME BE AROUND HEARING PEOPLE AGAIN, he signs, unsure why he’s suddenly turned all sentimental, but he’s sure the alcohol has something to do with it. 

WE AREN’T ALL BAD, Kurt signs. 

NOT YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, he says with a dopey smile that causes Kurt to lean over and give him a sweet kiss that’s not nearly enough for Blaine, but he’s too tired to sit up and force Kurt to kiss him properly. 

SO YOU WANTED TO DATE ME FROM THE FIRST TIME WE MET? Kurt asks, a satisfied smirk on his face. 

I KNEW TINA DOESN’T KEEP SECRETS. 

TINA? Kurt asks, confused and Blaine remembers that he didn’t tell Kurt about the awesome name sign that he made up using a “T” to sign “Diva” because Tina’s pretty fierce. 

T-I-N-A, I MADE HER A NAME SIGN, he signs. 

YOU LOOK HAPPY, Kurt comments and he looks surprised by that, like he didn’t expect it. It’s fair, Blaine didn’t really expect to feel happy at this party either. 

I LIKE TINA, he says, because it’s explanation enough. 

CAREFUL, Kurt teases. BIGGEST GOSSIP IN THE WORLD. 

SHE’S PRETTY COOL, he explains, thinking back to how he’d told her about the music video recreations he made when he was at Dalton and how she’d immediately Googled and watched the video of him dancing to ‘Last Friday Night’ on her phone. Afterwards she’d pulled him out onto the dance floor and demanded that he show everyone his moves. 

WHAT? YOU LIKE ONE OF MY FRIENDS, Kurt asks, pretending to look surprised. 

IT’S POSSIBLE, he signs, though he knows that’s a lie. He’s got Tina’s number saved in his phone and she’s coming over next weekend to show him how to sew his own bow ties. 

So perhaps he was wrong and not all hearing people are bad, or maybe he was right and he’s just been lucky enough to find the two hearing people in the world his age worth knowing, but either way — life is pretty good if he does say so himself.


End file.
